The invention concerns electronic programmers comprising means for selecting any one of several programs stored in an electronic circuit including at least one integrated circuit having inputs and outputs some of which are connected to operational members of a machine, and display means connected to the integrated circuit.
A programmer of this type described in "Electronics" vol. 48 Oct. 2, 1975, No. 20, p. 6E comprises one push-button switching member or element and one visualiser or display per program, i.e. as many switching members and visualisers as then are programs to be selected. As each switching member must be connected to an input of the integrated circuit, it is necessary to have as many inputs as there are switching members. This necessitates a large number of connections and a complex cabling which may lead to connecting errors when cabling is carried out, or when a repair is made. Furthermore, as the number of inputs of an integrated circuit is limited, the possible number of connections is even more limited than in the earlier electronic programmers which did not include an integrated circuit. These earlier programmers, described for example in French Pat. No. 2,162,057, also have the drawbacks mentioned above.